Thursday, November 02, 2006

In a land where anything can happen:


Peter Obi, the Governor of Anambra State is impeached. In Nigeria, impeachment is tantamount to removal.
Obi, who only attained his mandate because the opponents of the embattled former governor, Chris Ngige, did not care if the whole of the state burnt in their madness to remove Ngige, must have rejoiced at obtaining a position that was rightfully his..

Flashback for the uninitiated- Chris Ngige, a Medical Doctor with a snazzy beard and a penchant for caps became Governor of Anambra in 2003. Shortly after, we learnt (these things are not concealed in Nigeria) that Ngige had been installed by a 33 year old “Godfather”, Chris Mba, who had taken him to the Okija shrine to swear allegiance to the Godfather. (These things are done in Nigeria). Allegiance involved the payment by the Governor, of billions of Naira to the Godfather straight from the coffers of the government.


Ngige hedged on payment and the revelations (and war) started. Ngige said he was a Christian and had gone to the shrine with a concealed bible. Yeah. Mba the Godfather was adamant. A deal was a deal and he was bent on collecting. The President of Nigeria called the warring parties, Godfather and God Son/Governor to the Presidential abode. What was the matter? They stated both sides. The elections had been rigged so Ngige could become Governor. He admitted to it. The President’s reaction? He threw them both out.
Mba, the Godfather also happens to be younger brother to the Personal Assistant to the President of Nigeria. In the ensuing crisis, the Governor was abducted from his office by the ‘Police’, locked up in a toilet, made to sign a ‘confession’ and removed from office by the 'dogfather'. That was a Freudian slip.


The State burnt. The ruling party, PDP, lost its governorship, Peter Obi of the ANPP became Governor and all appeared well. For a while. Now, the louts are it again, backed silently by those in power. Obi’s house was burnt to ashes and the powers that be, look on. For a fiercely independent tribe, the Ibos are being led by the nose here. By the way, Chris 'the Godfather' Mba, was given a diplomatic passport by the Federal Government for his troubles.


In Oyo State, Ladoja the Governor was removed. His troubles started because he refused to pay the State’s Monthly Security Vote to the Ibadan ‘strongman’ (that may be interpreted literarily), Adedibu. Adedibu bluntly told the press that the President had ordered Ladoja to give him the state security vote and Ladoja had refused. It was the beginning of the end for Ladoja. He was walked down the plank by his own state legislators who gathered in a hotel room and impeached him. Same thing with Obi by the way, he was impeached by renegade legislators at 5.30 am.

In Nigeria, its simple. The Powers inform the legislators that investigations are on concerning their financial activities. The legislators will do anything to quell this, including voting to remove their mothers as their rightful parents if requested to do so.


Breaking news now: Ladoja has been re-instated by the judicial system. The deputy governor of Oyo, who took over from Ladoja and whose first act was to go prostrate (literarily again) for Adedibu, an old, belligerent politician, has been assured by Adedibu that he does not have to respect the law. We'll see.


BREAKING NEWS: The Aviation Minister, Aborishade has been deployed to Tourism and Culture and Fani-Kayode of that Ministry brought to Aviation. The wisdom in the deployment? Maybe Aborishade has ill-luck. Aborishade blamed the Pilot of the ill-fated ADC plane for crashing the aircraft “while wrongly using his initiative”. The dead man can’t argue back. Aborishade can’t be held responsible for yet another air misfortune if he’s in another ministry. Or can he? Aborishade was rejected thrice by the National Assembly as a Ministerial candidate. His nomination by the Executive was repeated time after time. Maybe those lawmakers knew something we ddin't. The last aircrash before the one last week, he cried on tv stating that he would resign if it would please those asking for his head. Liar. The police teargassed a large crowd of mothers at Ikeja, Lagos, marching to the governor's to register their complaints about the aviation minister. This large crowd of peaceful women included the former Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Jadesola Akande.


This is Nigeria. Anything can happen.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent piece! You should write more of this, please!

It is only in Nigeria that a belligerent 'agbaya' and thug like Adedibu could say that a law court is 'talking thrash'. I hope there is enough time to see how the drama in Ibadan ends; the Adedibu group will definitely head for the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court's verdict.

laspapi said...

Thank you for the comment, imnakoya. I'll do more on these issues. Nigeria is tottering now as madmen take control.

Anonymous said...

Great piece! I learn a lot from your blog. It worries me, Laspapi, this path that our politicians are treading. Every time I think of returning home to Nigeria, my friends scream: "Don't!" Now, I have stopped saying, "God help Nigeria." I do not think God will help Nigeria if we don't attempt to help ourselves.

Wordsbody said...

The comings and goings in the Nigerian polity, it's enough to make one dizzy. Unbelievability upon unbelievability. Nigeria na waa!

Is Jadesola Akande not the widow of Debo Akande, former lawyer to the Iges?

MW

laspapi said...

At one time, anietie, I thought not leaving Nigeria was patriotism, but at a time when fools ride on horses and kings walk barefooted, I'd ask anyone to be sure of returning to the land.

It is no exaggeration to say madness reigns. The impossible happens here repeatedly and close to 5 decades on, we have learnt nothing.

Our main roads, Ikorodu Road etc have no street lights, robbers operate blatantly on the 3rd mainland bridge, people are repeatedly mugged on the buses. It is as if there is an orchestration, a deliberate push towards anarchy.

Wordsbody, the impossible is common place in Nigeria. We are forced to accept this.

I do not think Jadesola Akande and the late Debo Akande were man and wife. I believe they were related though.